Permian Basin - Energy Information Administration

1 Permian Basin Part 2 Wolfcamp Shale Play of the Midland Basin Geology review August 2020 Independent Statistics & Analysis Department of Energy Washington, DC 20585 Energy Information Administration | Permian Basin , Part 2 i This report was prepared by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical agency within the Department of Energy . By law, EIA s data, analyses, and forecasts are independent of approval by any other officer or employee of the United States Government. The views in this report therefore should not be construed as representing those of the Department of Energy or other federal agencies.

2 EIA author contact: Dr. Olga Popova Email: 2020 Energy Information Administration | Permian Basin , Part 2 6 Contents introduction .. 7 Permian Basin .. 7 Regional tectonic setting and geologic framework .. 7 Midland Basin .. 8 Wolfcamp Formation .. 8 Regional stratigraphy and lithology of the Wolfcamp 10 Total organic carbon content of the Wolfcamp formation .. 11 Wolfcamp play boundaries and production .. 11 Wolfcamp formation benches .. 13 Structure and thickness maps of Wolfcamp A in the Midland Basin .. 13 Structure and thickness maps of Wolfcamp B in the Midland Basin .. 15 Structure and thickness maps of Wolfcamp C in the Midland 17 Structure and thickness maps of Wolfcamp D in the Midland Basin .

3 19 References .. 22 August 2020 Energy Information Administration | Permian Basin , Part 2 7 introduction This document contains updated Information and maps for the Wolfcamp play of the Midland Basin , which is a part of the larger Permian Basin . The geologic features characterized include contoured elevation of the top of the formations (structure), contoured thickness (isopach), paleogeographic elements, and tectonic features as well as geological cross sections and play boundaries. These geologic elements are documented and integrated into a series of maps. The Midland Basin maps consist of layers of geologic and production Information that users can view either as separate thematic maps or as interactive layers of the Energy Mapping System.

4 Data sources include Enverus DrillingInfo Inc. (DI), a commercial oil and natural gas well database; the United States Geological Survey (USGS); Texas Bureau of Economic Geology; Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports; peer-reviewed research papers; and academic theses. Currently, EIA has access to well-level data, including more than 24,000 well logs from the Midland Basin , which we use for map construction. This report contains the Wolfcamp play section, including subsections on the Wolfcamp A, B, C, and D benches in the Midland Basin . EIA will add spatial layers on structure, thickness, and production maps as well as corresponding report sections describing major plays of the Midland Basin in the future as we create additional maps.

5 Permian Basin The Permian Basin of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico has produced hydrocarbons for about 100 years and has supplied more than billion barrels of oil and about 125 trillion cubic feet of natural gas as of January 2020. Implementing hydraulic fracturing, horizontal drilling, and completion technology advancements during the past decade has reversed the production decline in the Permian Basin , and the Basin has exceeded its previous production peak, set in the early 1970s. In 2019, Permian Basin production accounted for more than 35% of total crude oil production and more than 13% of total natural gas production.

6 As of 2018, EIA estimates remaining proven reserves in the Permian Basin exceed 11 billion barrels of oil and 46 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, making it one of the largest hydrocarbon-producing basins in the United States and the world (EIA, 2019). Regional tectonic setting and geologic framework The Permian Basin is a complex sedimentary system located in the foreland of the Marathon-Ouachita orogenic belt. It covers more than 75,000 square miles and extends across 52 counties in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. The Permian Basin is now an asymmetrical, northwest-to-southeast-trending sedimentary system bounded by the Marathon-Ouachita orogenic belt to the south, the Northwest shelf and Matador Arch to the north, the Diablo platform to the west, and the Eastern shelf to the east (Beaumont, 1981; Gardiner, 1990, 1992; Ewing, 1991; Frenzel, et al.)

7 , 1988; Hills, 1985). The Basin is comprised of several sub-basins and platforms: the three main subdivisions include the Delaware Basin , Central Basin Platform, and the Midland Basin (Figure 1). Detailed Permian Basin stratigraphy, geologic framework and tectonic settings are presented in the Permian Basin Report, Part 1. August 2020 Energy Information Administration | Permian Basin , Part 2 8 Midland Basin The Midland Basin is bounded to the east by the Eastern shelf through a series of north-south trending fault segments, to the north by the Northwest shelf, and to the west by uplifted areas of the Central Basin Platform. Southward, Midland Basin formations thin out into the Ozona Arch, an extension of the Central Basin Platform, which separates the Delaware and Midland Basins (Galley, 1958; Hoak et al.

8 , 1998; Mazzullo et al., 1989; Yang et al., 1995) Figure 1. Major structural and tectonic features in the region of the Permian Basin Wolfcamp Formation The Wolfcamp Shale, a Wolfcampian-age organic-rich formation, extends in the subsurface in all three sub-basins of the Permian Basin (Delaware Basin , Midland Basin , and Central Basin Platform) and is the most prolific oil and natural gas-bearing tight formation contained within (Dolton et al., 1979; Dutton et al., 2005; Jacobs, 2013; Robinson, K., 1988). The Wolfcamp Shale is divided into four sections, or benches, known as the Wolfcamp A, B, C, and D (Gaswirth et al., 2017; Gupta et al.

9 , 2018). In the Midland Basin , the four benches of the Wolfcamp formation each display different characteristics in terms of lithology, fossil content, porosity, total organic content, and thermal maturity. Overall, basement tectonics patterns influence Wolfcamp structure and thickness (Figures 2-5). August 2020 Energy Information Administration | Permian Basin , Part 2 6 Figure 2. Generalized stratigraphic schema of Upper Carboniferous through Upper Permian intervals for the Permian Basin Upper SpraberryMiddle SpraberryLower SpraberryDeanDelaware Mtn Gr Source: Energy Information Administration based on Enverus DrillingInfo Inc.

10 , Geological Survey. Delaware Basin Central Basin Platform Midland Basin August 2020 Energy Information Administration | Permian Basin , Part 2 7 Figure 3. North to south geologic cross sections through the Midland Basin Delaware Mtn GrUpper SpraberryMiddle SpraberryLower SpraberryDeanPeriodEpochPermianGuadalupi anLeonardianWolfcampianCarboniferousPenn sylvanian20000-2000-4000-6000-8000 Depth (feet)A A 20000-2000-4000-6000-8000 WolfcampDStrawnWolfcampBWolfcampADepth (feet) Source: Energy Information Administration based on Enverus DrillingInfo Inc.